An Akatsuki Christmas Carol
by DEIDARA-CHAN96
Summary: The classic tale with an Akatsuki twist. Mostly everyone is OOC XD. Disclaimer: I do not own the original story. It was written by Charles Dickens.
1. Chapter 1

**Happy Holidays! I know it's late, but better late than never XD **

It was a cold and snowy December day in a happy little village in the Land of Snow. Everyone in town was excited, for it wasn't just any December day; it was the day before Christmas. People crowded the streets as they did last minute shopping, listened joyfully to harmonious carolers, and simply wished each other a happy holiday. Everyone was bright and cheerful. Well, almost everyone.

Kakuzu was the richest man in the Land of Snow. He was a well-dressed, but greedy old man with no family, no friends, and a heart as black as coal. Long ago he had been the partner of another man named Kisame, and together they had opened the land's most successful mortgage company. Together they spent many years swindling the poor to fill their own pockets. However, Kisame had died exactly seven years ago, so Kakuzu was now the official and only owner.

Kakuzu hated most of the holidays of the year. He found Valentine's Day to be a waste of time. Easter and Halloween were just silly reasons for children to rot their teeth out by eating too much candy to him. But of all the holiday's that he hated, Kakuzu hated Christmas the most. He viewed it only as a waste of precious money that should be spent on mortgage for him to collect. How he despised the cheerful villagers and their happiness over such a foolish holiday.

The heartless miser sat at his desk, counting his hundreds of thousands of gold coins. He eyed them greedily as they dropped from his hands to the neat stacks that covered his desk. A few meters away sat Pein, Kakuzu's loyal, but underpaid clerk. Pein was almost the exact opposite of his employer. Although his clothes were old and slightly faded, he was young and handsome, with spiky, yet smooth orange hair, purple eyes with a strange ripple pattern, and a pure golden heart. But the greatest difference between the two was Pein's love for Christmas, and how it brought families and friends together.

Unlike his boss, he was hard at work, filling out eviction forms for people who hadn't yet paid the mortgage. He shivered from the cold, since Kakuzu only aloud a few pieces of coal for the furnace to be used a day. But that didn't bother Pein. It was the papers that he was forced to complete that made his heart feel heavy, for he knew that each one would bring sadness and poverty to some poor family in the village. How cruel it seemed to kick someone out of their home, especially on Christmas morning.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Kakuzu looked up from his money, than got up from his desk. As he walked past Pein's desk to get to the door, Pein looked down, not wanting to stare his boss straight in the eyes. Upon reaching the door, Kakuzu unhitched the lock and opened the door, allowing a cold wind to blow inside. Outside stood Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyūga, two local villagers. Both of them were holding a large tin can filled with coins.

"Hello there, Kakuzu-sama." Naruto said cheerfully. "We just stopped by to wish you a Merry Christmas, and ask if you'd like to donate to the poor. After all, sir, it is the holiday season, and-" Before Naruto could finish, the greedy miser had slammed in his and Hinata's faces. Pein cringed at the sound of the slam. "Does that mean you won't be donating, sir?" Naruto called through the closed door. Kakuzu trudged back to his desk.

"Christmas," he mumbled, sitting down again. "Disgusting!" As Kakuzu went back to counting his money, Pein filled out the last of the eviction forms. Slowly, he got up from his seat, and walked cautiously over his employer's desk. Kakuzu looked up at him. "What is it now, Pein?" he asked coldly. "This better not be about the coal. I already told you, I won't put any more in."

"Yes, I know, sir." Pein said quietly. "I just thought you'd like to know that I finished filling out the eviction forms." Kakuzu stared at him for a while looked back down at his money.

"Good." The greedy man responded, not showing any sign of being grateful. Pein remained in his position at the desk. Kakuzu looked back up at him. "Why are you still standing there? Do you think I'm paying you to just stare at me all day?" Pein swallowed hard, and then looked down at the floor.

"Well, sir…I was wondering…" Pein hesitated. "Since tomorrow is Christmas…I wanted to ask…if I could have the day off…" Kakuzu glared harshly at his employee.

"Why on earth would you want to take a day off for such a waste of time and money?" The greedy egoist fumed. Pein looked at his employer with fear, but tried to stay calm.

"Well, sir, it is a holiday, after all. No other businesses will be open." Pein insisted. "And besides, it would save even more coal then usual if we weren't open tomorrow." Kakuzu groaned, annoyed by the foolish request. But even so, Pein had a point. It would save some coal if they were closed that day.

"Very well. Once your shift ends tonight, you may take tomorrow off." he approved. Pein was shocked by the answer. He'd been expecting Kakuzu to refuse, just as he usually did with other holidays. "But I expect you to come in earlier the day after tomorrow, understand? And if you don't, I'll cut your salary down to 80 ryō a day."

"Oh, yes sir, of course." Pein said gladly. "I won't disappoint you." Kakuzu put all of his money into a large sack, which he then placed into the large safe he kept in the back of the room. Once the safe was securely locked, the greedy hoarder pulled on his heavy overcoat and headed for the door.

"I'm going home." Kakuzu announced. "Your shift ends in two hours. Not a moment sooner, understand?"

"Yes sir, I understand." Pein said, rushing back at his smaller desk and getting back to work. Kakuzu only grunted, then walked outside and shut the door behind him. As he moved through the streets, the selfish miser glanced around at the happy villagers with disgust. "Imbeciles…" he muttered under his breath. "How can anything but money make someone happy?" And with that, Kakuzu continued home, trudging his feet through the thick blanket of snow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1 hour and 30 minutes later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kakuzu's head rested on his right palm. He had dozed off in his big black armchair that sat in his eerie living room. The only light came from the dim flame in the fireplace, and the only sound was the cracking of the burning wood. As the greedy egotist rested his eyes, a deep and frightening voice whispered through the dark.

"Kaaaaakuzuuuuuu…" the voice moaned. Kakuzu stirred slightly, but remained asleep. "Kaaaaaakuzuuuuuu…" the voice moaned louder. Kakuzu still didn't move. "DAMN IT, KAKUZU, WAKE UP ALREADY!" Kakuzu woke with a start, causing himself and his chair to fall backwards. "Finally! Damn, I didn't know you were such a hard sleeper!"

Kakuzu sat up, confused and somewhat afraid. He looked up, and before him was his former partner, Kisame. Long chains with heavy weights were wrapped around his arms and legs, and he was an eerie shade of blue. Well, more blue then he used to be anyway. "Kisame?" Kakuzu shuddered. "But…you're…"

"Dead? Don't remind me." Kisame groaned. Kakuzu got back on his feet slowly. As he looked closer at the apparition before him, the greedy miser saw that he could actually see right through his

"You're… a ghost?" Kakuzu asked, astonished. The

"No, I'm your fairy godmother!" Kisame said sarcastically, moving closer to his former partner. "Of course I'm a ghost! I'm dead! What else would I be?" Kakuzu backed up slightly as the ghost of his partner drew closer.

"What are you doing here, Kisame?" Kakuzu questioned, putting the armchair back into its proper position. "Why have you returned from the dead after all this time?"

"To save you from yourself." Kisame responded. He lifted his arms, showing all the chains that hung loosely from them. "See these? In life, people form chains by doing wrong deeds, like being selfish and greedy like I was. And when you die, you've got to lug them around for the rest of eternity. And now, I'm doomed to carry these damned things around." Kisame pointed at Kakuzu. "And so will you, Kakuzu, it you don't change."

"What do you mean change?" Kakuzu argued. He saw nothing about him needed to be changed. He was the richest man in the Land of Snow: what else could he want? "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Ha!" Kisame laughed. "Are you kidding me? You're even greedier than I was. And if you keep this up, you gonna end up with chains that are twice as heavy as mine are!" Kakuzu swallowed hard, but didn't show his fear.

"Well how do you expect me to do that?" Kakuzu complained. "It's not like I can cast some magic spell to make myself change."

"Tonight, I'm sending three ghosts to teach you the true meaning of this holiday." Kisame warned. Kakuzu glared at the ghost of his former partner.

"Christmas? Why in the world would I want to know the meaning of such a stupid holiday!" Kakuzu said harshly. Kisame sighed and shook his head in shame.

"It's not stupid, Kakuzu." Kisame disagreed. "And you're going to learn that soon enough." And with that, Kisame suddenly faded away. Kakuzu stared at the spot where Kisame had been standing in shock. He rubbed his tired eyes and looked again.

"Ghosts…" Kakuzu mumbled, believing that he must have imagined the entire encounter. "How foolish!" And so, Kakuzu lifted his chair back up and headed to the stairs so that he could get ready for bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~20 minutes later, in Kakuzu's bedroom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kakuzu lay comfortably in his large bed, dressed in his robe and pajamas and deep in a dreamless sleep. The dark room was quiet except for the quiet ticking of the clock on the wall. Everything was very peaceful.

But suddenly, a light glow came from the window, lighting up the entire room. Kakuzu awoke with a start as the window broke and a flash of light hit the floor in front of his bed. The bright light continued to glow for a while, then dimmed slightly. Kakuzu watched in shock as a man with spikey black hair who wearing an orange swirly mask.

"Tobi thinks he needs to work on his landings," the man said, scratching his head. He glanced over at Kakuzu, who was still in shock. "Sorry about your window. Tobi would pay for it…if Tobi got paid for this job." Kakuzu's shock quickly turned to anger.

"Just who are you and what the hell are you doing in my room!" Kakuzu fumed, crossing his arms angrily.

"Well isn't it obvious? I'm Tobi, the Ghost of Christmas Past!" he said cheerfully. Kakuzu was once again shocked. This meant that he hadn't imagined seeing Kisame before. It had all been real, and now here was the first ghost that Kisame had mentioned.

"What do you want with me?" Kakuzu asked cautiously.

"Oh, not much," Tobi replied and then pointed at the broken window. "I just need you to jump out that window with me."

"What! You maniac!" Kakuzu protested. "I'll die if I jump from this story!" Tobi scratched his head, then realized his mistake and thumped himself on the head

"Oh, my bad! What I mean is that I want you to fly out this window with me so that we can head to our destination." the ghost corrected himself.

"And where exactly would that be?" Kakuzu said, putting on his worn slippers

"The Past! Duh!" Tobi boasted happily. He grabbed Kakuzu's arm and pulled him off the bed and dragged him toward the window. "And we'd better get going! Tobi doesn't have all night, you know."

"Wait, I can't go out there in my pajamas! I'll look ridiculous." Kakuzu argued. "At least let me change my clothes first!"

"Sorry, no time!" the spirit explained. "Besides, no one's going to see you!" And with that, Tobi jumped out the broken window, dragging Kakuzu, who was now screaming and cursing like a maniac, with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Past ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tobi and Kakuzu crashed into a snow covered field face first with a crash muffled by the high piles of white snowflakes. Kakuzu got up, brushed himself off, and glared down at Tobi. "All right, you little nuisance," Kakuzu said bitterly. "You broke my window, took me from my home by force, and crashed my face into the freezing snow. Is there any other type of physical or mental pain you'd like to cause me before I kill you!" Tobi quickly stood up.

"Nope," he answered cheerfully, not sensing the threat in Kakuzu's tone. "But Tobi does want you to look around. Don't you remember this place?"

"Why would I ever remember such as silly little-" Kakuzu began, but then he actually noticed the area around him. They were standing in an open field by a dirt road, and a large three story building stood a little while off. The building was old looking, but stood strong against the cold winter wind. By the front doors sat people in carriages, as if they were waiting for something. Kakuzu gaped in surprise, and his voice grew softer and less harsh. "This…is my old boarding school." he nearly whispered.

"Yep. Tobi's brought you back to the time when you were just a kid." Tobi explained. "And no offense, but you were a lot less grouchy back then." Just then, the school bell rang, and hundreds of children came flooding out of the front doors of the school. They all piled into different caridges and greeted their families, who quickly began to drive the carriages to the dirt road.

"Tobi's cold. Let's go inside now. It's warm in there." The ghost said, shivering. "Besides, there's something in there that you need to see." Tobi grabbed Kakuzu's arm again, but this time Kakuzu didn't get angry about it. He was still in shock at the scenery from his past.

Tobi and Kakuzu entered small classroom, with grey and unappealing walls. The desks and chairs sat in neat little rows, each of them empty…all except for one in the back of the room.

In that chair sat a little boy with light brown skin and messy dark brown hair. He was obviously a student at the school, since he wore the uniform. But unlike the other children, he wasn't outside, greeting his family or riding down the road toward home. Instead, he sat alone, the only person left in the entire building.

The boy started out the window, looking down at all of the boys and girls who were outside talking to their loving parents. A look of sadness and depression was on his face, and he looked as if he wanted to break down and cry, but was too stubborn to do so. Kakuzu stared at him, a look of sadness on his face, as well. "That's me, isn't it?" he asked Tobi quietly.

"It was you, back when you still went to this school." Tobi replied, and then looked over at the younger Kakuzu. "Aww! You were so cute! You would've been cuter if you weren't so sad." Tobi turned back to Kakuzu, but Kakuzu continued to stare at the younger version of himself.

"I remember this now," Kakuzu said wearily. "It was a few days before Christmas, and all of the other kids got to go home and be with their families for a week. But my father thought that I should focus more on my schoolwork, and not on foolish things like holidays." Kakuzu watched as the younger version of him continued to stare at the falling snow. "And so, I was always alone during Christmas until I graduated from this school. For all that time, I would have no one to talk to. No one to play with. No one who cared about me. I suppose that's why I decided to stop caring about others."

"Well that sucks!" the ghost pouted. "No wonder you turned out to be such a mean, holiday hating, heartless, greedy, selfish, lonely, swindling, penny-pinching, good-for-nothing…" Tobi stopped as Kakuzu looked at him with a look of annoyance. "Um…no offense…" he apologized. Kakuzu stared back at the younger him, and sighed.

"Take me home, Tobi." Kakuzu said tiredly, closing his eyes. "I don't want to see this anymore. It hurts too much." The ghost was quiet for a moment.

"Alright," Tobi said, lightly touching Kakuzu's shoulder "But remember, what happened here in the past can never be changed. But what happens in the past can help change the future."

Suddenly Tobi's voice faded away, and his hand seemed to vanish. When Kakuzu opened his eyes again, he was lying on his bed. Tobi was gone, and the window that he had crashed through looked as if it had never been touched. Kakuzu sat up and darted his eyes around his room, then rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Had what he'd just witnessed really happened? Or was it all just a dream? After all, there was no evidence that any of those events had even occurred. After a long moment of thought, Kakuzu groaned in annoyance. "I must have imagined the whole thing." he told himself. "Ghosts! Ridiculous!" And with that, Kakuzu laid back down and slowly drifted back to sleep, trying once again to lose his painful memories.


	2. Chapter 2

Kakuzu sat up quickly when he heard noises coming from down the hall. He climbed out of bed slowly, making sure not to make any noise as he did. Cautiously, Kakuzu made his way to the door. The floorboards squeaked quietly under his feet as he moved out the door and down the dark and dreary hallway.

As he approached where the sounds were coming from, he could see a dim, but warm light coming from the end of the hall. Finally, he turned the corner and saw the source of the noise. In his hallway was a strange looking man sitting on the floor. He had a Venus flytrap surrounding his upper body, and half his face was black while the other was white.

He was eating a bowl of rice by candlelight, and in front of him sat plates of dango, ohagi, and many other foods and dishes. Kakuzu had no idea where any of the food had come from. It certainly wasn't any of his.

After a while, the man finally stopped eating and looked over at Kakuzu, who he'd just noticed. "What's up?" the white half asked, waving his chopsticks. The shocked Kakuzu didn't answer right away, since he was still getting over the fact that there was a stranger eating in his hallway.

"Um...nothing really," he finally responded. "But what exactly are you doing in my hallway?"

"_**What? A guy can't eat when he's hungry?**_" the black side asked angrily. "_**I can eat wherever I want to, you bastard!**_" Kakuzu looked confused. It seemed that this guy had some kind of split personality.

"Ignore him," the white half of the man insisted. "Anyway, I'm Zetsu, the Ghost of Christmas Present." Kakuzu sighed. So seeing his past _hadn't_ been a bad dream, after all.

"Another one, huh?" He said tiredly. "You didn't break my window, too, did you?"

"Nope," White-Zetsu replied, "_**But I should have.**_" Black-Zetsu added.

"So what do you want from me?" Kakuzu wondered.

"Simple. I'm going to show you something that's happening at this very moment." White-Zetsu responded. "_**And how it's all your fault.**_/b" Black Zetsu pointed out.

"How is it my fault?" Kakuzu argued. "I have no business with anyone in this town. They are of none of my concern." Zetsu shook his head.

"Believe me; this guy has everything to do with you." White-Zetsu insisted. He put down the empty bowl, stood up, and grabbed the selfish man by the collar of his robe. "_**Let's get going, old man. I have an afterlife to get back to.**_" Black-Zetsu said coldly. Kakuzu sighed in exhaustion.

"Please tell me we're not flying there." he pleaded with the ghost. Zetsu laughed.

"Don't worry, we're not." White-Zetsu confirmed. Kakuzu sighed in relief. Even if he was being dragged out of his house by another crazy ghost, it brought some comfort to him that they weren't going to be flying again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Across Town ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In what seemed like too short a time, Kakuzu and the ghost were standing in front of a lone two story house on the other side of town. The bricks forming the house were old and rough, and had faded to a dull reddish-brown. In the far side of the yard sat a small garden with a few withering vegetables. As a gentle snow fell around them from the blackened sky, the greedy miser could see smoke rising from the thin chimney, and light coming from the windows. Kakuzu looked to Zetsu in confusion and aggravation.

"Why have you brought me here, spirit?" Kakuzu asked, annoyed. "This is just some random house. I don't even know who lives here."

"Really? You don't know who lives here?" White Zetsu asked innocently. "_**Just goes to show how little this old bastard knows about the people around him.**_" Kakuzu's face turned red with anger, but just as he was about to scream at the dark side of the ghost, Zetsu walked over to a large window on the side of the house, signaling the selfish miser to follow. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Kakuzu reluctantly followed, wiped the snow from the glass, and peered inside.

Kakuzu saw a large, simple-looking one room first floor, with the only decorations being sturdy, but very plain furniture, a roaring fireplace, and a very small Christmas tree perched in the corner of the room. In the area that appeared to be a small kitchen stood a beautiful young woman with short blue hair and amber eyes. She wore a slightly faded, but pretty blue dress with a white apron. The woman was standing over a hot stove, cooking something in a medium sized pot. As she stirred the food, she hummed to herself happily. Kakuzu stared in confusion and looked back at Zetsu. "Who is that woman?" he asked curiously.

"Her name is Konan. She lives here with her husband and her children." White-Zetsu answered.

"Well if she's married, than where's her husband?" Kakuzu wondered impatiently.

"He'll be home in a few seconds." White-Zetsu told the impatient egotist. "_**But I should warn you, it'll be a real kick in the ass when you see him, old man.**_" Black-Zetsu mocked. Kakuzu would have retaliated had he not heard the clicking of a lock. Turning his attention back to the room, he saw the front door swing open, and a tall figure dusted with snow walk into the house.

"Konan, I'm home." the figure spoke as he began removing his worn black trench coat and long red scarf. Kakuzu jerked suddenly, a look of complete surprise on his face. The miser knew the figure's voice all too well; it was a voice that had embedded its tone into his head after being heard day after day for many years. As the man finished removing his winter wear, Konan looked up from the stove and glanced over her shoulder towards the door. The moment she saw the man, she gasped with joy and temporarily abandoned her spot by the stove.

"Pein! Merry Christmas, my darling!" she exclaimed, happily running over to her husband. As she approached, Pein pulled his true love into a tight embrace and pressed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss, which Konan graciously accepted. Kakuzu stared in shock as the young couple held each other close, then back at Zetsu.

"Pein! What's he doing here!" he wondered aloud, completely bewildered.

"_**Hmmm, I don't know,**_" Black-Zetsu answered sarcastically. "_**Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it's HIS house!**_" Kakuzu glared at the dark half of the ghost with both fury and annoyance.

"I can see _that_, you moron! I'm asking why you've brought me to the house of my employee! What does he have to do with any of this!" the angry miser seethed, his face turning red again.

"Trust me; he has everything to do with this." White-Zetsu insisted. "In fact, he's affected by every single thing you do."

"What are you talking abo-" Kakuzu began to ask the ghost.

"_**Maybe if you'd shut up and watch, you'd find out!**_" Black-Zetsu snapped angrily. Kakuzu grumbled in disapproval, but turned his attention back to the window just as Pein and Konan broke their kiss.

"I managed to get tomorrow off from work." Pein informed his wife as he hung his jacket and scarf on the coat stand by the door.

"Really?" Konan asked curiously. "Now that's what I call a Christmas miracle."

"Surely it doesn't surprise you _that_ much." Pein insisted, a smirk of amusement on his face.

"Well, to be honest, it kind of does. That cheapskate Kakuzu works you like you're his dog, yet he barely gives you any time off." Konan stated in an irritated tone. She went the cupboard and pulled out some old-looking bowls, plates and silverware. "After all you've done for him over the years, the least he could do is thank you once in a while! And he won't even do that!" Pein sighed, then walked over to Konan and took some of the dishes from her.

"Now Konan, I know he can be a little…cold, sometimes…but I don't really think it's his fault." Pein said sympathetically, helping his wife set their aged oak table. "He doesn't have any friends or family to be with for holidays and things like that. If I didn't have you and the boys, I'd probably be the same way."

"Well, I still think he could thank you once in a while." Konan sighed, gently and kissing Pein's cheek.

As the two continued to talk, Kakuzu stared down at his feet, somewhat ashamed. "_**I bet you feel like a bastard now, huh**_?" Black-Zetsu mocked.

"Oh, shut up!" Kakuzu seethed, his eyes still looking toward the ground. But the miser knew the ghost and Konan were right. He did work Pein very hard. Even though he was underpaid and could have quit a long time ago if he had wanted to, and even though Kakuzu had never once acknowledged him, or even thanked him for all the work he would do, Pein had always remained loyal to Kakuzu and the company. And now, he was even going as far as to defend his employer, even after all the verbal abuse and undermining. For possibly the first time in his life, Kakuzu was actually feeling…_guilty_.

"Boys, your father's home!" Konan called up the stairs before making her way back toward the stove. Kakuzu snapped out of his self-induced trance and looked back at the scene. A few moments later, soft thumping was heard, and two young men bounded down the wooden steps. The first had short red hair and calm, wide brown eyes, while the other had slicked back silver hair and eyes a bold shade of purple.

"What about those two over there? Who are they?" Kakuzu asked, with a less hostile voice.

"The one with the red hair is Sasori, Pein and Konan's eldest son. He's about twenty two years old, but he's extremely intelligent for his age." White-Zetsu began. "_**The other one's their second oldest, Hidan. He's twenty, and kind of an asshole, but he's okay, I guess.**_" Kakuzu didn't respond, but turned back to the window.

"Not that I'm disappointed or anything," Sasori said as he came to the table, "But why are you home this early, Dad?"

"Yeah, did your jackass of a boss die or something?" Hidan added in hopeful tone.

Pein gave him a confused and slightly annoyed look, while Kakuzu glared at him from outside. "What do you two think you're doing?" Konan asked, trying to change the subject. "You know you're not supposed to let your little brother go down the stairs by himself."

"Tell that to him!" Hidan growled in an annoyed tone. "I tried to tell that to the little bastard, but he just-" the young man's ranting was interrupted when Pein took the spoon that Konan was holding and smacked him on the head with it. "OW! DAD!"

"You should never talk back to your mother." Pein warned with a stern but calm tone. "And what makes you think you can use that kind of language to describe your brother?" Hidan was about to retaliate, but before he could, his father smacked him with the spoon again.

"OW! Alright, I'm sorry! Geez!" Hidan mumbled angrily, rubbing the bruise on his head.

"We really did try to help him, but he insisted we let him try by himself." Sasori informed his parents, "You know how he is. There's no changing his mind when he's that determined to do something."

Kakuzu heard Konan say something else, but he didn't listen what she said. He'd suddenly heard soft but distinctive thumps coming from the staircase, even though Pein and his family seemed oblivious to the sound. Intrigued, the miser looked toward the source of the noise.

Slowly coming down the stairs was a third young boy, with pretty blue eyes, long blonde hair and a feminine body and face. A black metal brace stretched from the mid-thigh to the mid-calf of his left leg, keeping it in a mostly straight position, and he was holding onto the stair railing in order to support himself.

"Who's that?" Kakuzu inquired with surprise.

"That would be Deidara." White-Zetsu informed the hoarder. "He's the youngest of the bunch. He's only sixteen." Kakuzu continued to stare at the young blonde, paying particular attention to the brace on his leg.

"Tell me…why does he wear that brace on his leg?" Kakuzu asked, looking back at the ghost.

"_**When he was younger, Deidara developed a condition that is slowly weakening his entire body.**_" Black-Zetsu explained. "_**As of now, the part of his body most affected is his left leg. He has to wear the brace to avoid hurting himself.**_" Kakuzu only stared at the ghost for a moment, before slowly turning back to see Deidara make his way down the last few steps.

"Ha!" he exclaimed in triumph as he reached the ground floor. "I knew I could do it on my own, un. I just had to pace myself, that's all." It was only after Deidara spoke that the rest of his family noticed him. Konan's expression became extremely worried, and she rushed over to the blonde.

"Deidara, are you alright! Are you in pain! Why didn't you let someone help you!" she asked frantically, grabbing him and using her own body as his support. Deidara only smiled at his mother.

"I just wanted to see if I could do it on my own. I can't let this thing stop me from living my life, un." he insisted, indicating his brace. Konan wasn't quite convinced by her son's answer.

"That doesn't give you an excuse to do something that could hurt you." she protested. "You know you're not supposed to overdue things."

"Don't worry, Mom, it wasn't too hard." Deidara assured her. "Besides, Dad says I should try to overcome obstacles like that so I can get better faster."

"I know, honey, but you can't-" she started to say.

"Konan, your smothering him." Pein interrupted, trying to calm his wife. "You have to let him do what he thinks is right. If he believes he can get down the stairs by himself, you have to let him." Konan stared at him for a short while, then at Deidara, and gave a reluctant sigh. Slowly, she released the blonde from her protective grasp.

"If you're so sure about his, then I guess I can't stop you." Konan decided a soft smile on her face. Deidara grinned happily and kissed his mother's cheek, and they walked over to the rest of the family. Outside, Kakuzu was looking back at Zetsu.

"That boy…he's going to be okay, right?" Kakuzu asked nervously.

"Well, his condition is curable. If he's able to get treatment, he'll surely live a full and healthy life." White-Zetsu stated. "_**But, that's easier said than done, since-**_"

"Don't say it…I already know…" Kakuzu cut off the ghost. It was clear to the miser that it was his greed and selfishness that kept Pein from being able to afford medical attention for his son. No wonder Pein worked so tirelessly; with a child's life on the line, who wouldn't put up with it? Kakuzu glanced back into the house, seeing the family sitting down to dinner and happily talking to each other. He sighed softly.

"What a fool I've been." The regretful hoarder admitted. "I never even realized how much my actions affected the people around me. How could I ever fix this?"

"It's not too late, Kakuzu. You still have a chance." White Zetsu insisted. "_**You may be a stubborn old fool, but that doesn't mean you can't change.**_" Black Zetsu added. Kakuzu didn't seem to notice that the two voices were beginning to sound more airy.

"But how do I-" Kakuzu began, turning back to the ghost. But to Kakuzu's surprise, Zetsu was gone. The shocked miser glanced all around the yard for the two faced spirit, but he was nowhere to be found. "Perfect. What do I do now?"

Just then, Kakuzu noticed that the snow had stopped, and an eerie, thick fog was starting to surround him. Somewhat frightened by this, he turned away from the strange scene. But as the hoarder turned, something suddenly stood in his path. Kakuzu jumped backwards, shocked. In front of him stood a young man with long black hair and intense red eyes. The person stared at Kakuzu with a great intensity.

"Who...are you?" Kakuzu asked, though he believed he already knew the answer. The stranger only continued to stare at Kakuzu for a few moments more, before walking over to a tree off to the side of the house. Slowly, he lifted his right index finger to the bark, and to the Kakuzu's surprise, a small flame started to glow at the fingertip. The miser silently watched as the man neatly burned three kanji into the wood before slightly backing away, allowing him to step closer to the now burnt tree.

"Itachi…" Kakuzu read aloud, before looking back to the stranger. "That's your name?" the man nodded, and the hoarder sighed softly.

"So, I'm going to take a guess and say you're the Ghost of Christmas Future, right?" he asked. Itachi nodded again. Kakuzu stared at him with slight confusion "Aren't you going to say anything?" the ghost shook his head no. Kakuzu sighed again, looking at his feet.

"Great. I'm stuck with a ghost who can't speak." The miser looked back up at the ghost. "Alright.I'm all yours, spirit. Please...show me what the future has to hold." Itachi nodded, and began to walk off into the fog, signaling Kakuzu to follow. The miser looked back at the house of his employer with one last guilty stare, then took a deep breath, and followed the ghost into the darkness of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Kakuzu and Itachi were now completely surrounded by the dense fog, making it nearly impossible to see more than five feet in any direction. Kakuzu quietly shuddered. He wasn't very comfortable with walking around blindly in the thickness of the fog, and he couldn't help but feel that he was walking towards something he didn't want to see.

"Where are we going?" he asked Itachi, who was ahead of him. Naturally, the ghost didn't say a word; he only glanced back at the miser for a moment, and then continued to walk. Kakuzu groaned. He couldn't help but be slightly agitated and puzzled by Itachi's silence. How was the spirit supposed to teach him anything if he wasn't even going to say anything?

But Kakuzu didn't have time to analyze the spirit any longer, for he suddenly found himself walking into something hard and stiff. "Ow! What in the-" Kakuzu started to shout, but stopped when he noticed what he had bumped into.

In front of Kakuzu stood a large, moss covered tombstone. Kakuzu, in his bewilderment, frantically looked at his surroundings, realizing that the fog had started to lift and that there were tombstones spaced out all around him. He was standing in the middle a large graveyard. But question still remained: why was he there? Immediately, Kakuzu ran to catch up with Itachi.

"Why have you brought me here?" Kakuzu asked when he finally caught up with the spirit. "What could you show me in a dreary place like this?" Itachi only glanced at Kakuzu with and the same intense stare, and suddenly pointed to something up ahead. Confused, the miser looked toward the direction the Itachi indicated. Instantly, his eyes widened with complete surprise.

About ten meters into the distance, Kakuzu could see Pein, Konan, Sasori, and Hidan, standing over a single gravestone. Konan was in Pein's arms, weeping uncontrollably, while Pein and his sons wore faces of mourning, attempting to hold back their own tears. "Why…why…it just isn't fair…" Konan cried out in agony, burying her face in her hands. Kakuzu, absolutely mortified turned back to Itachi, his eyes leading for an answer.

"What's going on? Why are they-" The hoarder began to ask, only for the Itachi to stare at him again. Though he hadn't spoken, Kakuzu could tell that the spirit wanted him to be quiet for a short while longer and keep watching, simply by the look in his eyes. So reluctantly, Kakuzu decided to look back at the saddening scene.

Pein held onto Konan for a while longer before kissing her forehead and having Sasori and Hidan lead her toward the graveyard exit. As the two young men lead their mother away, Pein turned around and stared at the tombstone. He slowly reached out his hand and touched the top of the stone with his palm.

"I'm sorry…that I couldn't protect you…" he sighed sadly, moving his hand cautiously across the stone. "But at least you're in a better place now. Who knows…maybe one day…we'll see each other again…" At that moment, a single tear rolled down Pein's cheek. "Farewell…Deidara…"

Kakuzu gasped in horror, and Pein slowly moved away from the grave and towards the exit with the rest of his family. "No…" Kakuzu whispered, not being able to believe what he'd just heard. As Pein vanished from sight, the miser made a mad dash toward the spot where his employee had just stood. Another gasp escaped him as he read the epitaph.

_In Memory of Deidara – Beloved Son and Brother_, was the short message carved into the stone. Kakuzu fell to his knees in shock, staring at the words with shock. "No…not Deidara…not the boy…" he mourned quietly. Water suddenly started to form in Kakuzu's eyes. Eventually the liquid began to fall down his face, and then landed in droplets on the ground. For the first time in decades, Kakuzu, the man who used to believe that emotion was for the weak, was _crying_.

By now, Itachi stood by the regretful miser's side, staring at the broken man. Kakuzu felt his presents immediately, and turned to him. "Spirit…please…please tell me that this isn't an absolute future!" Kakuzu beseeched the ghost, still on his knees. "This boy…he's so young and pure…he doesn't deserve to die…not like this!" Itachi continued to stare down at Kakuzu.

"Please, spirit! I've finally seen the light!" the hoarder continued to cry. "I want to change! I want to save myself from my own greed!" The spirit's continued silence made Kakuzu feel terribly uneasy, but he continued to plead with him for mercy. "I'm ashamed of everything I've done, spirit! I've been selfishly hoarding money for years! I've underappreciated my best employee! I've deprived his family! I…I've killed his son…" Kakuzu glanced back at the grave where Deidara's lifeless body lay deep within the ground. More hot tears began streaming down his face.

"I'll forever cherish the spirit of Christmas, and every other holiday, if you just give me another chance! Let me make this right!" Kakuzu screamed, turning back to Itachi. "PLEASE SPIRIT! I DON'T WANT ANY OF THIS! I DON'T WANT AN INNOCENT PERSON TO DIE BECAUSE OF _ME_!" Itachi didn't say a word, causing the miser to start to lose hope. More tears hit the snow as the miser bowed his head in shame. "Please…I'm…I'm sorry…" he pleaded one last time, closing his eyes. The only noise on the night air became a cold, howling wind. As snow blew off the trees and around the two figures in the graveyard, Kakuzu noticed a small, kind smile appear on the spirit's face.

"Very well…" Itachi stated, just as another gust of wind blew through the bare trees.

To Kakuzu's astonishment, the cold winter air around his body and the icy snow under his hands vanished. The shocked miser's eyes snapped open, and he found himself staring at a smooth wooden floor. He raised his head slowly, and glanced at his surroundings. He was in his room, in his house; he was back. Had all of it…been a dream? Kakuzu shook his head. No. He was sure that everything he'd seen had been real. The only question the reformed hoarder had was whether or not he was too late to fix it all.

Kakuzu quickly got to his feet, running over to the window. It was morning now, and the snow that had fallen the night before was still there. The town's people were already strolling through the town, wishing each other a Merry Christmas. "Yes!" Kakuzu shouted, running over to his closet and pulling out random pieces of clothes. "I haven't missed it! I still have a chance!" As Kakuzu quickly changed out of his pajamas and into his usual daily attire, he glanced up at the ceiling.

"Thank you, Spirits! Thank you, Kisame!" he shouted to the heavens. "I promise I'll never go back to the way I was! I'll always live my life in the past, present, and future!" With that, Kakuzu quickly pulled on his shoes and rushed downstairs. He quickly entered his home office and walked over a safe that sat in the corner of the room. With great speed, he entered the combination and pulled out three bags filled with cash, and within a minute of leaving the office, he pulled on his coat and scarf and rushed out the door.

Kakuzu walked quickly through the snowy streets, just as he had done the night before. Only this time, when someone he passed wished him a happy holiday, he didn't grumble in annoyance like he would before. The reformed miser instead returned the kindness, wishing everyone he passed a Merry Christmas. As he continued to move through the crowds of people, Kakuzu noticed two familiar figures. A few meters away stood Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyūga, the two charity collectors from the other night.

"You two!" Kakuzu called to them in a gruff tone. Naruto and Hinata instantly looked up from what they were doing, and when they saw Kakuzu approach them, they couldn't help but be both fearful and surprised. In fact, Hinata was so worried that she hid behind Naruto, hoping for some sort of protection.

"Oh…h-hello, Kakuzu-san…." Naruto stuttered nervously. "Merry – I mean – How's it going?" Kakuzu only stared at Naruto for a while, making Naruto gulp loudly. The spiky headed blonde silently prayed that he hadn't insulted the miser.

"Are you and this girl still collecting money for charity?" Kakuzu asked, breaking the silence. Naruto straightened himself, attempting to regain his composure.

"Well actually, yes, we are still collecting. Why do you as-" Naruto began to respond, but was interrupted as Kakuzu placed on of the heavy sacks of money in his arms. The sheer weight of the load almost made Naruto fall over, so Hinata had to help him hold the bag.

"Um, excuse me sir," Hinata said shyly, "But what is all this?"

"Why, it's my donation, of course." Kakuzu responded kindly, beginning to walk away. "A Merry Christmas to both of you!" Naruto and Hinata watched in astonishment as Kakuzu left, then stared at each other, and then back at the miser. Kakuzu, the richest, greediest man in town, was donating money to _charity_? The two teens only stared at each other for a moment more, before shrugging their shoulders in confusion and heading toward the collection office with Kakuzu's donation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_Pein's House, about 30 minutes later_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pein sat on the couch in the living room portion of the first floor, reading a book. The fireplace was already ablaze, and a fresh pot of black coffee was brewing on the stove. Everyone else was still upstairs, sleeping or preparing for the day. Pein wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings, since he was deeply focused on his reading, which is why he was startled by a sudden, rapid knocking sound. Pein raised an eyebrow.

'Who could be at the door at this hour?' he thought curiously. The knocking continued, so Pein placed his book down on the couch, walked over to the door, and slowly undid the lock. As he slowly opened the door, allowing the cold air to seep in, Pein's eyes widened.

Kakuzu stood in the open doorway, a huge sack slung over his shoulder. He had a serious look in his eyes, which silently stuck fear into Pein's heart. But even with the fear building, Pein was able to conceal it from his employer.

"Sir?" he asked, confused and somewhat terrified. "What are you – how did you-"

"I need to talk to you, Pein." Kakuzu interrupted, keeping his stern face. "May I come in?" Pein remained still for a moment, before slowly moving to the side of the doorway, allowing Kakuzu to enter the house. As Pein locked the door, Kakuzu placed the sack on the oak table.

"Tell me, Pein," Kakuzu began, glancing over at his employee. "How long have you been working for my company?" There was a moment of silence, and the Pein took a hard swallow.

"A-about ten years, sir…" Pein responded with slight stuttering. Kakuzu continued to stare at him for a short while, before turning away again.

"Ten years…" he continued, "That's quite a long time, don't you think?"

"I…suppose so, sir." Pein agreed, looking towards the floor. As the two men continued talking, they were oblivious to the fact the Konan was perched on the stairs, listening to their conversation. It was taking all of her strength to keep herself from yelling in frustration. What was Kakuzu doing in their house, and what on earth was he about to tell her husband? Could he possibly be planning to…_fire_ him?

"Pein, There's something I need to say to you…" Kakuzu said sternly, walking over to his employee. "Something that I should have said a long time ago…" Pein closed his eyes, expecting the worst. Konan could no longer hold back her emotions. She refused to stand around and let her husband get fired for no reason. Filled with anger, she began to move quickly down the stairs to protest against the 'selfish' miser. But as the next few words escaped Kakuzu's mouth, both Pein and Konan would get the surprise of their lives.

"Thank you…" Kakuzu suddenly said, his voice changing from stern to quiet. Konan halted at the bottom of the stairs, completely shocked, while Pein wore an expression of equal surprise.

"E-Excuse me?" Pein questioned the miser, not sure if he had heard his employer correctly. Within and instant, Kakuzu was on his knees, holding Pein's right hand in both of his.

"Ten years…ten years you've worked hard for me, doing everything I asked you to, finishing every form I threw at you, and not once have I ever thanked you for it!" Kakuzu prattled on, a grateful look in his eyes. "You've put up with me for all these years, and for that, I _have _to thank you!" Pein didn't know whether to be happy, worried, or terrified.

"Um...sir, are you feeling alright?" he asked, truly confused. Kakuzu got to his feet. "No, Pein, I'm feeling better than alright; better than I've felt in a long time," Kakuzu insisted, heading back toward the table, "And please, stop calling me sir. Partnership becomes awkward when the two involved call each other sir." Pein's eyes became even wider than before, and Konan darted to his side at the speed of light.

"Pa...pa...partnership!" Pein and Konan stuttered together.

"Yes, that's right. You've stuck by me longer than almost anyone else. The least you deserve is a fair share of my wealth." the former hoarder exclaimed. He opened the sack from the before, and prepared to empty its contents. "However, you and your family deserve much more than the least." Pein and Konan watched with wide eyes as a huge pile of food, wrapped gifts formed on their table. "Merry Christmas to the both of you." The couple's expressions didn't change. Their shock had officially reached its peak. Konan slowly picked up the large bundle of cash that sat at the top of the pile.

"What...what's all this for?" she asked, indicating the money. Kakuzu looked directly at the couple.

"I talked to some...people...and I found out that one of your children has a medical condition," he explained, "So I did some research. I believe that's more than enough for him to receive proper treatment. Konan and Pein turned to each other in shock, than back at Kakuzu. But before they could speak, there's barrage of footsteps could be heard from the stairs. Turning to the source of the noise, the three adults watched as Sasori and Hidan came down the steps, with Deidara close behind them.

"Mom, Dad, what's going-" Sasori started to ask, only stop and widened his eyes as soon as he saw the gift covered table. His brothers soon joined him in his shock. Silence filled the room...at least for a moment

"ALRIGHT! FREE STUFF!" Hidan shouted, rushing over to the table. Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Hidan don't be a jerk. Let Deidara go first." he ordered his younger brother. As the boys became focused on the presents, Pein and Konan turned back to Kakuzu.

"Sir...I mean...Kakuzu...I don't know what to say..." Pein said quietly. "I guess all I can do...is thank you..." Kakuzu glanced over at Pein and Konan's children, specifically Deidara, who was happily opening one of the gifts, and then turned back to the happy husband and wife.

"I don't deserve your thanks." he told them. "I simply discovered that it was about time to make...a change..." Konan smiled softly.

"Well, there's plenty of food here." she exclaimed, making her way over to the table. "Would you care to join us for Christmas dinner, Kakuzu?" The miser, for the first time in years, smiled.

"I would be honored." he answered kindly. And with that, the three of them made their way over to the boys to enjoy the holiday and the many, many more to come, for both Deidara and Kakuzu, who had finally learned the true meaning of Christmas - and of love.


End file.
